Excavating-machine.



LE ROY K. SHERMAN.

EXCAVATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED come. 1908.

Patented Nov'. 12, 1912.

LCAOQG.

2 SHBETS-SHEET 1.

LE ROY K. SHERMAN.

EXCAVATING IYUXGHHE.

APPLYCATION FILED 0G19. 190s.

atented Nov. 12, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2y 50 tion mounted `on trucks andadapted to be "LE ROY K. SHERMAN, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

EXCAVATINGfMACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 12, i912.

Application filed October 9 190B.' Serial No. 456,966

To all whom it may concern:

` Beit known that I, Ln ROY K. SHERMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and 'useful AImprovement vin VExcavating-Machines, of which the 'following is a speciiicatiorn. Y

My invention is an improvement in machines for excavating earth and other ma- `terials.

ln the construction' ef canal cuts-or channels and the like this is frequently done by excavators of the drag line bucket type, which operates'by drawing a skip or bucket, provided with a cutting lip, over and through the material to-be excavated,

by means of a stationary' hoisting engine and a connectingv rope: Much inconvenience and delay are occasioned in the use of such drag line Scrapers, because there is nomeans provided for positively directing and steadying the cutting edge which' is therefore frequently turned aside or thrown outof the earth by meeting some slight obstruction which' would'other'wise be cut through or gathered up. I

My invention provides an apparatus byf' which the cutting edgen'lof the bucket 'i positively and .squarely 'presented to the material and the loading` and'durnping are i performed with speed and certainty.

The apparatus is simple and cheap, is

i constructed in many respects on the lines of existing machines, is not likely to get out of order, and the operations of the bucket are at all times under positive' control of,

l The vprinciples of my invention arciy illustrated in the drawings, in wlii6h`f` f ,-Figure 1 represents a cable way, including 'my improvements, the bucketbeing rep-v resented as filled: Fig. 2 shows the bucket the act of' entering the earth 'to be filled; Fig. 3 represents the bucket preparatory to dumping, and'Fig. i represents the oar` and bucket arm with details of construction.

`ll`urtherY describing my invention with reference to ,the drawings, A-A represent towei'sof lthe ordinary and usual construcmoved asv desired. The two towers may be with' such means for taking up the slack as may be desired. A car 2 which is quite manner.

A elongated in the line of *its operation is .which are given sufficient turns to prevent 'slipplng by friction. It is then carried up ward and around the pulley 9, and thence to the car 2, to the end of whichV it is attached'. The bucket 10, providedwith the cutting edge 11, has an arm 12, rigidly secured thereto. Said arm may have two members 13, spaced from each other, so as to include the car 2 between them, and the lat-ter is' provided with stops 15 at some distance front each other, by which the scoop arm 12 may be retained upon the car, but between which stops it may have free horizontal-and/vertical motion. A cable 16 is secured at one end to an eye 17' on the underside oic the car 2. The said cable is 4carried around a pulley 18 on the under-V said drum being controlled by dog 21 in connection with a ratchet wheel, a meansis provided by which the downward movement of the scoop is positively limited, while its movement. upward is not interfered with. But it will be seen that any rotary motion of the bucket about its cutting edge is prevented by the otherwise rigid connection thereof to the arm 12 and the car 2.

A hoisting and guiding rope 25 is prnvided, which is attached to the eye 26 on the bucket, passes over the pulley 27 on the car 2, and thence over the pulley 2S on the tower A to the drum' 29 of the engine. The drag-rope 30 may be attached to the eye 2G and is connected directly to the engine drum V31.

The bucket 10 has al false bottom l0 which may be hinged at 10 and be adapted tof" be. locked and tripped in the'ordinary A very simple and .cheap construction of the bucket arm and car is to employychannel bars .Aoff'lstandard shape for their/practical n oemb'ersf,1 Inthe bucketV arm the members 13 have the ila/tiges turned out- Jfwardlv, while in the can` thelvmembers loo are turned inwardly and secured together Vby plates 2 riveted thereto.

The initial position of the bucket for making the cut is ,shownin Fig.` 2, the same having been dropped at the proper point by the car and the lifting rope. The latter controls the depth of cut,while the drag The conveyer rope'is then shifted by the drum 7 until-the car and bucket are carried over the spoil bank, where the parts are substantially in the relative position shown in Fig.3. The bucket is then dumped by opening the hinged bottom l and the car again run out over the work until, upon reaching` the proper position, the bucket is again dropped and the operations described again repeated.

I have shown and described my invention with reference to a cable way adapted tosupport the car, but anyv other means of supporting the car may be used, and, under certain circumstances, the same or any'independent support may bev omitted altogether.

I claim:

l. In an excavating apparatus, the combination of supports spaced from eachother, a flexible cable way connecting the supports, a car suspended from the cable Way to ride thereon, a conveyer rope connected at its respective ends to the respective ends of the car and passed over sheaves on the supports and over a winding drum to actuate the car on the cable way, a bucket arm comprising members spanning the car and the conveyer rope, means for operatively moving the bucket arm, a bucket carried by said arm, means connected to the car and the arm formoving the latter independently of andwith respect to the car, and means con nected to 'the bucket for giving forward and upward movement thereto.

2. In an excavating apparatus, the combination of ,supports spaced from each other, a llexible cable way secured at each end to the supports, a car suspended from the cable way to ride thereon, a conveyer rope connected to each end of said car and passed over sheaves on thesupports and over a winding drum to actuate the car on the cable way, a bucket arm having a'plurality of members extended upwardly one on each side of the car and conveyer rope, said arm having free movement independently of the car, means' for operatively moving the .bucket arm, and means adjustably attached ing independently vertical and longitudi na'l movement with respect thereto, a holstarm adjustably related to the car and havv ing rope'connected with the arm and passed A over sheaves on the car and on one'of the supports to a wmding drum, and a drag rope connected to the arm and to awlndlng drum.

`4. In an excavating apparatus, the combination of supports spaced from each other,

a flexible cableway secured at each Yend to the supports, a car to ride on the cable Way,

a conveyer rope connected at its ends to the 1 I respective ends of said ear and passedoverI- sheaves on the supports and over a winding drum to actuate the car on the cable Way, a bucket arm having a plurality of members extended upwardly on each side ofthe car and the conveyer rope, a hoisting ropeconnected to the arm and passed over sheaves on the car and on one of the supports'to a winding drum, and a ,drag rope connected to the arm and to a Winding drum.

In witness whereof, I have' hereunto set my hand, this 5th day of October A, D.

1908, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses..

- Witnesses:

yC. K.V CHAMBERLMN,

A. S. ,IHILLIrs` LE ROY K. SHERMAN. 

